Built in
1962 but never completed “due to the country’s turbulent history”, the Victory
Gate advertises itself thus: “From a closer distance, it appears even less
impressive, like a monster of concrete”. It was one of three Vientiane sites we
visited today between posting a parcel home, fighting with Ethiopian Airlines
and collecting our three-month visas for Vietnam. The pretty Sisaket temple
(vat) was built by Anou, the last king of Vientiane, between 1819 and 1824. It
is located opposite the royal palace, now the Presidential Palace.
Mid-afternoon we took a tuk-tuk to the Mekong. At an estimated length of 4,350km
the Mekong is the world’s 12th-longest river. It runs from the Tibetan plateau through
China’s Yunnan province, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. We dined
again at the Black Canyon: Coffee and Cuisine on garlic pork and pad thai. Yum.